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Friday, July 18, 2014

Review - Her Secret, His Surprise by Paula Altenburg

Her Secret, His Surprise

by Paula Altenburg

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: July 14, 2014

Publisher: Entangled: Bliss

Conflict of interest is an understatement…Since being disowned by her strict father, Cass Stone has spent her adulthood trying to prove him wrong. Her drive has led to more success than her family ever thought she’d achieve, and life is looking great. Not even an incredible and mysterious one night stand that leaves her a single mom can trip her up...until the father of her baby stumbles back into her life, as sexy and unreliable as ever.Logan Alexander hasn't forgotten the night he spent with Cass two years ago, but he never expects to end up undercover as her assistant. His job saves lives—like it should have saved his brother—and he can’t afford complications. It’s difficult enough to maintain his cover as a carefree wanderer when he realizes his attraction to Cass hasn't faded...and then he meets Cass’s daughter.

I just love my romances with a bit of suspense and mystery, but am usually not a huge fan of the whole secret baby trope…little did I know what a fabulous read I was in for, and that the secret baby aspect only added to the depth of the story. From their first encounter at the hotel bar all the way up to the end of the story I was pulled right into Cass and Logan’s story. There was the perfect mix of romance and suspense in this book, and I just loved everything about it, especially the bantering between Cass and Logan – my favorite was the night they hook up for their one-night stand in the bar.

She might as well go for outrageous in answer to his question. She’d stumbled over the fake name, and there was no way he hadn't noticed because he didn't seem stupid. Besides, she’d picked the lamest one imaginable. She could blame that much on the alcohol.“I just got out of prison,” she said. She let out dramatic sigh as she braced her elbow on the bar and planted her chin in her palm. “You have no idea what a relief it is to finally meet a good-looking man who isn't dressed in a Corrections Canada uniform.”His eyes lit up like twin blue lasers as he played along. “Good looking, huh? What were you in for?”“Overenthusiasm with a bullwhip and handcuffs. Something might have been mentioned about ‘inflicting permanent physical and emotional scars on the victim.’”He sniffed in disgust. “The guy was a sissy if he couldn't handle a little domination.”She drained the last of her drink and slid the empty glass across the bar toward him. She lifted her chin, sat up straight on the stool, and met those twin laser beams head-on. “Who says it was a guy?”

Logan was such a complex character. He is so committed to his job, but when it comes to Cass, he has a hard time trying to figure out what he wants. And when he realizes that Olivia is his child, I loved how he immediately was committed to being her father – even if he couldn't tell Cass since it would compromise his current investigation.Cass was such a great mother to Olivia. She is smart, has worked hard to rise to a high level in her company, and is trying to do everything she can to provide a great life for Olivia. Although I found myself getting so angry with her every time she was being judgmental – the whole “Logan has no direction in his life so he must be irresponsible” thing – I did get why she acted that way and was glad that she acknowledged it was an issue and worked on moving past it.Although there wasn't a lot of action in this book, between the corporate espionage and the story of Cass and Logan’s relationship evolving, including the fabulous tension between these two, there was more than enough plot to keep this story moving forward at a very fast pace. I loved the realistic aspect of the characters, from Olivia’s temper tantrums to the office politics, and loved watching Logan fall in love with his daughter…and his daughter’s mother.This is a great read with some steam, some sweet, some suspense and a bit of mystery. This is my first read from this author but will definitely not be my last!I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.

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